Email Preview Text: What It Is, How to Write It and 15 Examples

Email preview text, also called preheader text, is the short line that shows next to or under your subject line in the inbox. Treat it as a second subject line: use it to add a reason to open, like the detail, the deadline or the answer the subject line hints at, and never just repeat the subject line. If you leave it empty, the inbox pulls in the first text of your email instead, which is often "View this email in your browser".

Most brands put real thought into the subject line and none into the line right next to it.

So the inbox fills it in for them. "View this email in your browser." "Shop New In Bestsellers Sale." The alt text of a logo.

That's a wasted line in the one place every subscriber sees before they decide to open.

Here's what preview text is, how we write it, and 15 examples you can adapt.

By Emiel Dingemans, Founder of Magicianly

Updated October 2026

What Is Email Preview Text?

Email preview text is the line of text the inbox shows after your subject line, before someone opens the email.

On a phone it usually sits under the subject line. On desktop it often runs after it on the same line. Either way, people read the sender name, the subject line and the preview text together, in about a second, and then decide whether to open.

That's why we think of preview text as a second subject line. The subject line gets attention. The preview text gives the extra reason to open.

Is a Preheader the Same as Preview Text?

Mostly, yes. "Preheader", "preheader text" and "preview text" are used for the same thing: the short line that shows after the subject line in the inbox.

Some people also use "preheader" for a small line of text at the very top of the email itself, above the header. That's a different thing. In this article, preview text and preheader both mean the line people see in the inbox.

What Happens If You Leave Preview Text Empty?

The inbox pulls in the first text it finds in your email.

For most designed emails, that's not something you'd ever choose. It's usually "View this email in your browser", the text in your navigation bar, or the alt text of your logo. Klaviyo's own help center warns about exactly this: if you don't set preview text, inboxes pull it from the beginning of the email, and that can include alt text or your navigation bar.

So always fill it in. It takes a minute, and it's one of the few things every single recipient sees.

How Do You Write Good Preview Text?

Write it to finish the thought the subject line starts. Here's what we check before any preview text goes out:

• It adds, it doesn't repeat. If the subject line says "25% Off Starts Now", the preview text shouldn't say "25% off starts now". Say what's included or when it ends.
• The important part comes first. Every inbox and device shows a different amount of preview text. Put the words that matter at the start, so they still show on a small phone screen.
• It sounds like a person. The same friend test as the subject line: would a friend write this? "Here's what I'd grab first" beats "Shop our curated selection of bestselling favorites".
• It matches the email. If the preview text promises sizing help, the email has to give sizing help.
• It's honest. No fake "Re:", no deadline that isn't real, no "your order" if it isn't about their order.
• It's checked on a phone. Send yourself a test and look at it in your own inbox before it goes to your list.

What Are the Best Ways to Use Preview Text?

There are five jobs we give preview text most often. Pick the one that adds the most to your subject line.

The dates, the offer and the free shipping are examples. Only use what's actually true for your store.

What Does Good Preview Text Look Like in Flows?

Flows run for months without anyone looking at them, so it's worth getting the preview text right once. Here's what we'd start with for the most common flow emails.

A few notes on these. For the cart email, only use "ready to ship" if your store actually ships fast. In browse abandonment, we lead with trust and save any discount for later in the flow. And if someone has a welcome code they haven't used yet, the preview text of the early cart emails is a good place to remind them of it. Once the cart flow introduces its own offer, stop mentioning the welcome code.

For full sets of subject lines with preview text, here are our welcome email subject lines and abandoned cart email subject lines.

What Does Good Preview Text Look Like in Campaigns?

Campaigns change every week, so preview text is easy to forget. These are the kinds of lines we'd use.

The plain-text line is lowercase on purpose. A plain-text email should look like it was typed by a person, and that includes the inbox preview. For more campaign examples, here are our promotional email subject lines.

Should the Offer Go in the Subject Line or the Preview Text?

It depends on your list, so test it.

Putting the offer in the subject line makes it impossible to miss. Putting it in the preview text lets the subject line sound more like a person, while the offer still shows up right next to it. Both can work. "Offer in the subject line vs offer in the preview text" is one of the subject line tests we run most often, and it's an easy one to set up.

How Do You Add Preview Text in Klaviyo?

In Klaviyo, preview text has its own field right next to the subject line. In a flow, it's in the email's subject and sender settings. In a campaign, it's on the message step, next to the subject line.

Klaviyo's help center also explains that the preview text field adds invisible spacers after your text, so the first words of your email body don't creep into the preview. Email clients handle those spacers differently, so send yourself a test. Here are Klaviyo's own instructions for preview text.

Should You Change the Preview Text When You Resend an Email?

Yes. When we resend an email to people who didn't open it the first time, we change both the subject line and the preview text. The same line that got ignored this morning will get ignored again tonight.

We do this a lot during Black Friday, when we resend the most important emails later the same day. Here's how that fits into our Black Friday email marketing plan.

Does Preview Text Affect Open Rates?

It can. Preview text is part of what people read before they open, so better preview text can mean more people open.

But be careful with how you judge it. Apple Mail Privacy Protection inflates open rates, so open rates can mislead you. When you test preview text, look at clicks and placed order rate too, not just opens.

And keep it in proportion. If your open rates are low across the board, the problem is usually deliverability or engagement, not one line of text. Here's how we approach increasing email open rates.

What Are the Most Common Preview Text Mistakes?

• Leaving it empty. You get "View this email in your browser" or your navigation bar.
• Repeating the subject line. You've used two lines to say one thing.
• Putting the important part at the end. On a phone, it gets cut off.
• Writing it like a banner ad. "Shop now and save on our amazing collection" adds nothing.
• Promising something the email doesn't deliver. It gets the open and loses the trust.
• Copying last week's preview text. Campaign preview text needs as much care as the subject line.

For the rules that apply to the subject line itself, here are our email subject line best practices.

So How Should You Write Email Preview Text?

• Always fill it in. Never let the inbox pick it for you.
• Treat it as a second subject line that adds something new.
• Put the important words first, and check it on your phone.
• Write it like a person, and keep it honest.
• Use it for the detail, the answer, a second reason, the deadline or proof.
• Change it when you resend an email.
• Test the offer in the subject line vs in the preview text, and judge on orders, not just opens.